As a small-town kid from Greenfield, Indiana, Braylon Mullins put together a solid career at Greenfield-Central High School. As Mr. Indiana Basketball, Mullins was the top recruit in the 2025 class in the entire state and was highly regarded as one of the top shooting guards in the country. The former Cougar put together many impressive performances during his time playing high school ball in Indiana, including a 51-point game that included a game-winner in his junior season against Pendleton.
As most Hoosiers know, basketball is different here in our state. From youth, through high school, college, and the pros — basketball in Indiana means more. We were reminded of that with this past Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup between the Duke Blue Devils and UConn Huskies. Someone may be wondering how programs from North Carolina and Connecticut have any connection to Indiana.
Well, now as a true freshman guard for UConn, Mullins has proved once again that he is no stranger to game-winners. Although Duke was heavily favored, the Indiana-native hit a game-winning 3-pointer from 35 feet out to secure a 73-72 win over top-seeded Duke. Every NCAA Tournament, there is a game-winning shot that is replayed time and time again for years to come.
Keep in mind, Mullins was 0-of-4 from 3-point range prior to the game-winning shot, but no one will remember that. Being able to send his program to their 8th Final Four since 1999 had to be a great feeling. After the shot, he was able to reflect on the shot with ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“So, I know after Silas (Demary Jr.) hit the free throw, we knew we had to foul the worst free-throw shooter on the floor. But then they made a little mistake, and Silas made a play on the ball, tipped it, and I ended up grabbing it. My instinct was just to throw it ahead, and I know AK (Alex Karaban) was ahead of me, and he had just hit one, so I thought he was about to shoot it. He ended up throwing it back to me, I knew there was about 4 seconds on the clock, so I had to put one up there, it’s crazy that’s the one I made tonight,” Mullins replied.
As we all know, this shot by Mullins means even more to hit beyond just sending his team to the Final 4, but it will also be a return home near his stomping grounds. It was also a significant part of UConn head coach Dan Hurley’s recruitment pitch to Mullins: “We’re gonna take you back home,” Hurley said. After becoming one of the most-talked about players in the country right now surrounding the Tournament, last year’s Mr. Basketball expressed his excitement returning home to play in Indianapolis this weekend in the Final 4.
“Just knowing that I get to go back home in Indy and play in front of Lucas Oil, I mean, that’s like 30 minutes away from my house. So happy I picked here. I represent UConn from Indiana,” Mullins replied.
His father and former high school coach, Josh Mullins (played at IUPUI) played a huge role in his son Braylon’s decision to play for Coach Hurley. In an interview with CBS Sports, Braylon reflected on his father’s influence and the reason he agreed that UConn was the right place for him.
“I think he just kind of resembles how my dad coached me. He just knew that Coach Hurley would coach me very hard and push me to my limits. I know everybody looks at me like a three-point shooter, but I think I can do a lot more on the court. I got to make an impact wherever Coach Hurley needs me at,” Braylon replied.
Whether the Huskies win or lose the NCAA Tournament, once it concludes and “One Shining Moment” plays, Mullins’ big-time three-ball to secure his team’s spot in the Final Four will be one of the most memorable moments to look back on from this Tourney. In addition, Indiana remains the standard for high school and college basketball. Although not all of our top recruits always remain home for their college tenures, they represent all of us Hoosiers wherever they go. Just know that when this shot is replayed in the future, a kid from Greenfield Central High School here in Indiana became a hero on Sunday, March 29th.